8 Dec 2015

Samoan sentenced in American Samoa on sex charge

7:43 am on 8 December 2015

One of the three defendants from a Samoan school group convicted on a sex charge in American Samoa has been jailed for 20 months.

Vaega Ioane Anderson, 27, was with two students from the Don Bosco school who were all charged with rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse and child endangerment.

The group was in American Samoa for the Flag Day celebrations.

Anderson, who has already served seven months while waiting to be tried, will be deported at the end of his imprisonment.

He pleaded guilty to third degree sexual assault and the other charges were dismissed under a plea agreement with the government.

Both the accused and the victims had told police the sex was consensual but under American Samoa law it is a crime to have sex with someone under the age of 17.